Supernatural - S12E16 - Ladies Drink Free

Previously on Supernatural, “Somewhere Between Heaven and Hell”

Last week, the Winchesters were living the high life while investigating an odd case involving a pair of siblings attacked in the woods. Though the episode was another trip down memory lane with addition of Claire Novak and the return of a classic beast, “Ladies Drink Free” hinted at the unforeseen aftermath of the Men of Letter’s stateside excursion. The organization has managed to wipe out a lot of packs and nests in the Midwest, however in their despondency, the few survivors turn to desperate measures and attempt to replenish the ranks by attacking a greater number of innocents. This in turn only causes a vicious cycle of death due to MoL’s draconian policy to neutralize all threats no matter the chances of recovery.

After the events in “The Raid”, the British Men of Letters’ overseas operations took a big hit. Davies admitted haven’t never experienced failure let alone the loss of the personnel like that in his career. Realizing that everyone should have sufficient skills to eliminate the creatures of darkness, Mick invited himself after assigning Sam and Dean to investigate a potential werewolf attack. While Dean absolutely hated the notion of a third wheel - until Mick introduced them to the plush life - both he and Sam were enthused by the presence of their ‘little sister’ Claire Novak.

It’s always an exciting episode when Claire is involved and as usual, she manages to poke fun at Dean and Sam while simultaneously grating their nerves when she does things the Novak way: alone and by the seat of the pants. Like angel-possessed father, like daughter! Ribbing Sam about being an old creep aside, Claire has grown a touch mature with every guest appearance yet in this case, she reverts to her old insolent ways when Novak admits to Dean she’s hunting solo and kept Jody in the dark. Yes, Claire has seen her share of evil over the years - and also detested the good guys for a time - but she’s never had to fend for herself until recently. Which is also the case for the Winchester’s latest best friend/lost puppy, Mick Davies.

Much of “Ladies Drink Free” relied on the demonstrative performance of Kathryn Love Newton, however Adam Fergus provided an equal amount of affectivity. Unlike Claire’s struggle to not disappoint those she loves whilst downplaying her desire to become a hunter, Mick manages to stumble out of the gate by enacting standard MoL procedure behind Dean and Sam’s backs. Sadly, the young girl that survived the werewolf attack was bitten and Davies took it upon himself to eliminate her before she fully turned. Rightfully, the Winchesters were pissed off. It was established in the first act that the Men of Letters have centuries of lore and research at their disposal; for this episode’s purposes Sam unveils an unsuccessful experiment for reversing lycanthropy. Due to its low success rate, the research was scrapped and the MoL eventually instituted its zero tolerance mandate.

Nevertheless, Mick’s debacle in handling the case placed Claire in great danger, leaving the boys no other choice but to use the dusty old notes to reverse the curse… and it worked! Congrats Novak, you’re the first person successfully returned to human form. Of course it wouldn’t work for everyone that was recently bitten as it only has a 11% chance of success (or to put another way, an 88% chance of killing you in the process). Ultimately if it wasn’t for Mick, Claire would be slashing throats and feasting on raw meat like it ain’t no thing. Then again, if it wasn’t for Mick, things would have gone so much smoother. In any case, the Winchesters still cannot trust the Men of Letters in spite of Davies finally realizing there may be a better way to combat evil.

Granted, Mick’s opinion is an outlier among the organization… but if a reputable agent like Toni Bevell (from waaaay back in the premiere and episode two) could exhibit with confidence such aggressive stance within the Men of Letters, there remains the possibility that a scant few disapprove of the order’s current methods of kill and not cure. It wouldn’t too shocking if a more aggressive stance will be enforced by the MoL by soon-to-be resurrected Lady Bevell, and a small civil war begins in the midst of Lucifer’s son’s birth. Yeah, don’t forget about the spawn of Satan arriving any day now! Boy, are they going to be in a world of hurt soon…